Pentagon watchdog told Hegseth's leaked Signal chat info came from email classified ‘secret'
The classified message was also headed as 'NOFORN' – meaning that it was not to be seen by foreign nationals – according to several people familiar with the matter, who spoke to The Washington Post.
The incident, described by critics as a significant security breach and which has become known as Signalgate in the media, occurred in March of this year.
Hegseth is accused of sharing details of imminent U.S. military operations in Yemen with a group chat, which included cabinet members such as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and, unwittingly, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Goldberg was added by mistake by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who has since resigned his post.
The reporting that the information Hegseth is accused of sharing on the chat came from a file marked 'SECRET/NOFORN' is at odds with the stance taken by the Trump administration in the aftermath of the incident, that no classified information was divulged.
Signalgate is now being investigated by the Defense Department inspector general's office at the request of both Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
According to The Post, the strike plans were shared in a classified email to more than a dozen defense officials by General Michael Kurilla, Commander of the United States Central Command, who is in charge of U.S. military operations in the Middle East.
The Independent has not separately verified The Post's reporting.
The sources cited by the outlet said Kurilla had sent the message over a classified system, the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNet, per government regulations.
In a statement shared with The Independent, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said: "This Signal narrative is so old and worn out, it's starting to resemble Joe Biden's mental state.'
'The Department stands behind its previous statements: no classified information was shared via Signal. As we've said repeatedly, nobody was texting war plans and the success of the Department's recent operations –from Operation Rough Rider to Operation Midnight Hammer--are proof that our operational security and discipline are top notch,' the Pentagon spokesperson said.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly added, 'Information related to this successful mission is not classified, and the Houthis have since agreed to a ceasefire.
'This Administration has proven that it can carry out missions with precision and certainty, as evidenced by the successful operations that obliterated Iran's nuclear facilities and killed terrorists.
'It's shameful that the Washington Post continues to publish unverified articles based on alleged emails they haven't personally reviewed in an effort to undermine a successful military operation and resurrect a non-issue that no one has cared about for months.'
At a House Armed Services Committee hearing in June, Hegseth did not respond to questions about whether the information he shared had come from classified systems.
'Classifications of any information in an ongoing operation that was successful are not things that would be disclosed in a public forum,' he said.
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